The government has set March 10 as the day a decision will be taken on whether it can proceed with the preferred election date of May 3. Ministers hope that they will by then be able to predict the scale of damage caused by the foot and mouth outbreak.

Foot and mouth cases have reached 32, and several more large events, including Crufts, have been cancelled. The National Trust has closed all its land and properties and the Cheltenham gold cup race is in doubt. Church services have been reduced and the army has cancelled training exercises.

The disease has spread to Northern Ireland and Scotland and troops have been deployed on the Irish border to prevent farmers moving their livestock south of the border in an effort to ward-off the disease.

Supermarkets across the country that are importing beef from Germany and The Netherlands face an additional complication as contaminated BSE material has been found in some imported consignments. The prime minister yesterday delivered a strong attack on the supermarkets, saying that they had the farming industry in an "arm lock".

Prices for meat look set to rise, with lamb prices hardest-hit as foot shortages develop across the UK.

The Express claims that Prince Charles last year predicted the outbreak of the disease, and the consequences for animal welfare, farmers and the associated industries.

The Mirror reports that animal rights activists could be behind the foot and mouth outbreak, having planted the disease in an attempt to discredit the farming industry.